A Cazenovia funeral director accused of inappropriate sexual contact with as many as five employees pleaded guilty Friday morning to third-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors.

Brian H. Tait, 46, of 4478 Lincklaen Road, Cazenovia, will serve three years probation as part of a plea deal.

Tait was arrested in October and charged with forcible touching and third-degree sexual abuse of an employee.

He was scheduled to go to trial July 16 to face seven misdemeanor charges, including five counts of third-degree sex abuse, one count of forcible touching and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.

A hearing was scheduled this morning to determine the admissibility of statements Tait made to state police investigators before his arrest.

Instead, the well-known funeral director pleaded guilty before Otsego County Judge Brian Burns, who was appointed after local judges recused themselves.

Tait pleaded guilty in the courtroom once overseen by his father, former state Supreme Court Justice Albert E. Tait, Jr. The elder Tait’s portrait was removed from the courtroom before the proceeding.

Chenango County First Assistant District Attorney Stephen Dunshee, who was appointed special prosecutor, said the plea deal was negotiated to spare victims from testifying in open court.

He said the victims’ families were “as satisfied as they could be.”

The initial charges stemmed from an incident on Sept. 20, when state police investigators said Tait subjected a 24-year-old former employee to inappropriate physicals.

Tait told the employee that the physical examinations were necessary to make sure she wasn't allergic to chemicals used at the funeral home, state police said.

Tait told state police investigators that the formaldehyde tests were part of his regular “practice and procedure,” Dunshee said.

After the initial charges were filed, additional victims approached state police investigators - including a 15-year-old victim in 2009 and 2010 who said Tait "grabbed her underpants and pulled them down, exposing her private area."

Those interviews led to five more charges – including endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor. Tait faced up to two years in jail.

Dunshee said he was satisfied that Tait’s sentence would include probation and a mental health evaluation, which could lead to sex offender treatment.

“(Tait) will be under the watchful eye of Madison County Probation for three years,” Dunshee said.

Tait remains released on bail of $2,500 cash or $10,000 bond. On Friday, Burns approved permanent orders of protection for the five victims and set sentencing for Sept. 13.